THE MAYOR'S THAMES FESTIVAL

Great news! We are happy to announce we will be participating in The Mayor's Thames Festival along the Southbank for the second year running. This is a fabulous event which brings together a huge variety of activities on, about and around the River Thames.

We will be situated at More London next to the Scoop on 14th and 15th September and if it's anything like last year it promises to be a fantastic event. The whole thing is completely free and aimed at all ages so mark it in your diaries and we'll see you there!

AQUAMARINE GILDED BUTTERFLY

Check out our new favourite colour combination - aquamarine silk with the copper gilded butterfly design. These were printed recently for a customer and we loved them so much we are thinking of adding them to our range permanently.

If you can't wait that long you can always email : info@clementineandbloom.com to talk to us about a commission or stop by Greenwich on a Wednesday to buy this beautiful little vintage Jersey pottery bedside lamp base with our new aquamarine gilded butterfly shade.

THE BARBICAN CONSERVATORY

Have you ever been to the Barbican? Just like us you have probably only ever been there to see an exhibition or maybe go to the theatre. Last Sunday we went to see the gardens...

The simplest way to describe the Barbican estate is as a concrete jungle with a million dollar price tag. Yes, there are high rise flats built in the late 70's from a brown concrete mix but it's also nestled right in the centre of London making it a very desirable location to live. Many parts of it are open to the public but as it's residential there are also a lot of areas that are private, then there are those sections like the conservatory that are open on select days of the month.

I had been recommended to visit by a friend and so at a loose end this Sunday I decided to take a look for myself. As you can see from the pictures I was not disappointed, it's compact and beautiful making it the perfect place to browse for a few hours. I came away feeling truly inspired...maybe a plant inspired print is just what Clementine & Bloom needs!

A NEW LINE

 

Whilst it feels like the rest of the world are on vacation, here at Clementine & Bloom we've been busy at work. Here's a snapshot during our photo shoot for our new range of cards, already a popular seller at markets and events we've decided to add them to our online shop! 

ISLINGTON GREEN

This is a little later than expected but on the last weekend in July we had a stall at the Islington Green Summer Fair.

This is a new event organised by our old friend Brandon, who last Christmas held a very successful winter fair on the same site.

The weather held out for us despite the weatherman promising showers and as ever we had a great time, helped along by the lovely stall holders and customers throughout the two days. There are more events planned for later in the year so do look out for them.

THE LATEST HOARD

Couldn't resist sharing this photo with you first! One of us (yes the one pictured) has been hunting for a vintage Union Jack flag - that was reasonably priced - for ages. Once again Ardingly answered my prayers with this giant for just £18!

Always on the look out to try something new, we picked up these lovely retro stools that we plan to recover in one of our fabrics. We would love your suggestions for a preferred print?

Another bargain of the day was this French globe. We're not sure exactly how old it is but it's definitely well used and several of the countries have since been renamed - it was a snip at £20.

The absolute gem of the day has to be this beautiful anglepoise lamp. Yes we know we have a home full of lamps and lampshades but one can't resist a classic!

Finally we bought these old metal letters. The 'a' is a gift for a family member on distant shores and the 'c' is of course for Clementine & Bloom. One day we hope to own every letter to our name; we know we should have picked a shorter brand name, but then all of the fun is in the hunting for the treasure!

ALL THE FUN OF THE FAIR

Earlier this week we made our annual pilgrimage to the International Antiques and Collectors Fair at the Ardingly showground in Sussex. If like us you love nothing more than spending hours looking at all sorts of weird and wonderful bits and pieces then you will find this fair heaven. We took quite a few pictures so we've decided to split our post into two parts, firstly sharing with you some of the curiosities that caught our eye. Followed with a second post to share our new purchases.

 

THE TASTE OF SUMMER

 

The weather has been amazingly good here for the past few weeks, it really has begun to feel like summer. And what better way to indulge in this glorious season than with food. With some extra strawberries floating around in my fridge I thought I would treat friends to Eton Mess, possibly the simplest dessert you can make as it really can't go wrong yet super tasty - as one friend said "this actually tastes like summer!"

All you need is chopped strawberries. Couldn't help but fall in love with the striped pattern inside of them, something I've never noticed before. 

Take some meringue and crush it into bit size pieces. Whip some double cream until it thickens then mix in the crushed meringue.

I decided to serve my Eton Mess in individual portions, I had to cycle to meet my friends and wanted something that would travel easily and still look pretty when I got there! Here I've used old jam jars and spooned the meringue/cream mixture into the bottom, added a layer of strawberries and a dollop of white chocolate.

Finished with a little Clementine & Bloom ribbon and hey presto a lovely summery treat for all to enjoy!

KEEP ON RUNNING

On one of the hottest days of the year so far one half of this duo (the younger half) participated in her first organised race for charity. The British 10k London Run took place on 14th July and our chosen charity was Cancer Research UK. Sophie beat her personal best time and needless to say we are all really proud of her!

WEDDING BELLES

On the hottest day of the year our family headed to The Sculpture Gallery at Woburn Abbey for a much anticipated wedding. Having only been at the Mehndi last week we were excited to see how it could top such a riot of colour and pattern.

Firstly the setting was stunning, then there were the colours of the flowers and decorations used for the reception and last but not least
there was the bride. Dressed in the most beautiful embroidered red dress, all the gold work, crystals and jewellery weighed so much but nothing (even the heat) could dampen what was a lovely family wedding.

MEHNDI

 
This weekend we were treated to a riot of colour and pattern. A member of our family is getting married next weekend and whilst the boys had a typical lads night out for their stag party, the girls were treated to the delights of a traditional Indian hen party or mehndi hosted by the bride's family.

Seizing the opportunity to embrace something new, a few of us decided to wear sari's (thank goodness for you-tube!) and draped in our metres upon metres of patterned fabrics we headed off to the party...
 

This was the surprise that awaited us when we arrived. It was held in the most magnificent marquee decorated on the inside with lavishly colourful textiles.

The main tradition of a mehndi is the application of henna to the bride's hands and feet; whilst hers was going to take 5 hours to complete we were all treated to a little henna of our own.

One of us did go slightly overboard and kept going back to get more done, but then what do you expect from ladies who love pattern? 

After such a wonderfully decadent pre-wedding celebration we can't wait to see what the big day holds. It is going to be a fusion of English and Indian traditions set in the beautiful English countryside and we'll be sure to take lots of photos. So now we're just keeping our exquisitely decorated fingers crossed for good weather!